Hey all, like many gamers I imagine I came to the glory that is Savage Worlds after playing much D&D. So I was wondering, is there a power out there that is like D&D's lightning bolt? More specificly the "Line" type targeting? I've been doing some converting of old D&D modules to Savage Worlds and got to thinking about how to do a black dragon's acid spit._________________"...If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. But sad or merry, I must leave it now. Farewell!"- Thorin Oakenshield; The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

If the bolt power doesn't cut it (in that it only hits one target), you could use the Fantasy Companion's jet power, which creates a damage stream in a straight line 1" wide and 12" long from the caster. Damagewise, it works just like the burst power (in that targets dodge or take 2d10 damage).

Lightning and acid would of course both be the elemental trappings found in SWD or the Fantasy Companion._________________Wild Card Creator: Any PDF, Any Setting, No Extra Cost.

Ah thank you very much Thunderforge (fitting name given the topic's title anyhoo) I think that jet power is just what I was looking for._________________"...If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. But sad or merry, I must leave it now. Farewell!"- Thorin Oakenshield; The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

As an aside, is there a power for something like chain lightning? My friend came up with a really good idea on how to do it (granted he was getting lightning bolt mixed up with chain lightning at the time but anyhoo). You'd cut a piece of string 12 inches long and then use that as your range thingy._________________"...If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. But sad or merry, I must leave it now. Farewell!"- Thorin Oakenshield; The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

As an aside, is there a power for something like chain lightning? My friend came up with a really good idea on how to do it (granted he was getting lightning bolt mixed up with chain lightning at the time but anyhoo). You'd cut a piece of string 12 inches long and then use that as your range thingy.

The closest you're going to get is Blast. Taking out a piece of string to figure out the exact number of dudes hit by lightning is pretty much the direct opposite of Savage World's, FFF, throw-down-a-template-and-wipe-some-extras-off-the-board gameplay style.

It's your game and all, so if string sounds awesome, go for it, but it's almost certainly more trouble than it's worth.

In some games sytems the lightning bolt and chain lightning are different and in some almost the same. Sometimes it goes in a line and hits any thing in that line and sometimes it can hit one target and then turn and hit the next closest target and so on and so on till five targets are hit. Sometimes the power of the strike against each victim is the same and sometimes weaker with each hit.

The fun with this is how often you kill you parties members or you do the math and lay out a fire plan and figure the last hit will be on your party but only the lowest damage type. In one game I had a perfect line up and a magic user at each end of the enemy line had a chain lighting spell and killed 5 enemy at once. And then I spent house reloading the "Spell Jammer" PC game due to the lighting spell making random bounces off walls I had not expected.

Joined: 15 May 2003Posts: 5258Location: Podunk Junction, State of Confusion

Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 8:49 am Post subject:

VonDan wrote:

In some games sytems the lightning bolt and chain lightning are different and in some almost the same. Sometimes it goes in a line and hits any thing in that line and sometimes it can hit one target and then turn and hit the next closest target and so on and so on till five targets are hit.

The former would be covered by the Jet power (which didn't make the transition from the Fantasy Companion to the SWD).

Quote:

The 12 inch string is a good idea for chain lighting, decide how many targets it can or HAS TOO hit and then figure out if the damage is constant or gets weaker with each hit. Will it bounce off any obstacle and are they are FFF (Fun Fatal Fumbles) with snake eyes

As an aside, is there a power for something like chain lightning? My friend came up with a really good idea on how to do it (granted he was getting lightning bolt mixed up with chain lightning at the time but anyhoo). You'd cut a piece of string 12 inches long and then use that as your range thingy.

Really, I'd go with a trapping for Bolt. Start with the firing of 3 2d6 bolts, and work from there...

Chain Lightning Trapping - The character spends 3 PPs and makes his Spellcasting roll as usual (3 Spellcasting dice and one Wild Die). Chain Lightning must be used on at least 2 different targets in range, and attacks must alternate between targets. The first bolt does 2d8 damage, the second does 2d6 damage, and the third does 2d4 damage._________________Clint Black
Savage Worlds Core Rules Brand Manager

Chain Lightning! is either a multiple-target Bolt power or the Burst power. If the Burst power only hits enemies (never allies) then increase the cost by +2 (that's a significant advantage to the trappings).

That's how I've handled them in my games. Because Trappings are awesome._________________"Got a problem? I've got the solution: Rocket Launcher."
"Not against a Servitor."
"... We're all gonna die."

Awwww, well I already own the fantasy compaion so now I'm gonna have to go buy Hell on Earth and Nemisis so Clint can upgrade to Mac and Cheese so I don't have to feel bad ha ha_________________"...If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. But sad or merry, I must leave it now. Farewell!"- Thorin Oakenshield; The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien